Black-eyed Susan

A confusing common name with so many species of flowers using that same one, including Maryland’s state flower. This particular one is Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) which I am working on committing “Rudbeckia fulgida” to memory to avoid confusing myself.

One of the other Black-eyed Susans, (Rudbeckia hirta). Soon soon soon there will be Maryland’s state flower growing up here, this Rudbeckia hirta.

That’s a Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) sitting atop the Rudbeckia fulgida in that first picture. It’s a small butterfly that enjoys visiting flowers that are the same colors that it sports on its wings.

And those seeds that last into the winter? That is why I don’t clean up my gardens in the autumn. The birds thoroughly enjoy the seeds.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.